Page 13 of A Hunter Turned
Kane’s lips tightened in a grimace. “The how no longer matters.”
Morgan nodded distractedly, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. “You’re right. Of course you’re right.”
“You can stay at my place in the city,” Travis offered. “Until you get your permanent residence established.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” Kane responded with a wan smile of appreciation. “I’d rather not have to try to find a hotel room at this hour.”
As the new leader to the vampires of Louisiana, Kane could have moved into Rodolfo’s elegant home in the Garden District. Granted, the place had suffered some fire damage, thanks to Travis kicking ass in his dragon form, but the sprawling southern home still had ample square footage that remained perfectly intact. No one was keen on that idea, however. Despite its outward beauty, the place was tainted with a pervasive ugliness thanks to the atrocities its previous owner had committed. As such, the home was slated to be torn down by the construction company Archer and his pack ran. It would have already been done except Kane had wanted to wait until Jamie was up and about to witness the destruction – a sort of gift since she hadn’t been able to be there for Rodolfo’s downfall thanks to her injuries.
Seeing Kane’s expression, the tiredness around his eyes and the droop in those broad shoulders, had Jamie bristling with indignation on his behalf. “I can’t believe Archer was such a dick.” Her lips pinched. Actually, she could believe it but after the gift of the glasses and the walk – even aborted as it was – she had kind of started to like the man just a little. She shouldn’t have been surprised that it hadn’t lasted long. “Asshole could have at least given you more time,” she grumbled.
Kane shook his head. “No. He was right to want me out of here. Those witches were killed as a message to me and the body count will only climb from here.”
The smell of sulfur tinged the air as if someone had lit a match. The scent of an agitated dragon. Glancing at Travis, Jamie saw his eyes had shifted to that of his inner beast, a fiery yellow striated with black, his pupils elongated and narrowed, and a rumble of a growl laced his words when he spoke, “Archer can’t allow this war to spread into the bayou. He has children to protect.”
She wanted to argue the point, but she didn’t have a leg to stand on. If Kane stayed, the vampires would continue to come, would push the boundaries of pack lands, the violence would escalate, and people would inevitably die. Jamie thought of little Cady, that clever, sweet child with a love of pink and princess band-aids. No. It would devastate Jamie if that little girl suffered because of them. She then thought of that unknown wolf that had approached her so eagerly. None of them deserved this war, especially not for taking them in when Jamie was in need. But neither should Kane have to face this alone. “I’ll go with you.”
Kane shook his head. Approaching her, he cupped his fingers around her chin and rested his forehead against hers. “You need to heal.”
Jamie let out a scoffing sound. “I’m not completely useless, you know. You need someone watching your back.”
“You’re both right,” Morgan cut in, grabbing up her shoulder holsters and strapping them on. “Jamie, you need to stay here, get back to one-hundred percent, and Travis needs to stay with his sister. I’ll be Kane’s eyes and ears in the city.”
“Youallneed to stay here,” Kane refuted sternly, drawing himself up. “A Hunter’s loyalty is to their team and I’m no longer a Hunter. This territory rises or it falls under my leadership and mine alone. If I can’t hold it, then I’m not worthy of the title.”
“You shouldn’t have to do it alone,” Morgan protested, with Jamie in full agreement.
Kane’s mouth quirked with a grin, his shoulder lifting in a shrug. “I didn’t make the rules but I need to accept them. I can’t be seen as weak. You know that.”
Jamie hated to admit it, but he was right. The quickest way to rebellion, and for a territory-holding Born to be overthrown, was for that vampire to show weakness. Kane had to be smart, cunning if he wanted to lead a pack of predators, quick to stifle rebellion and brutal in the doing. Vampires were little better than savages under the skin. For the most part, they didn’t respond to please and thank you from their leader, only respect or fear for that leader’s strength in controlling them.
“What will you do?”
Kane’s expression turned grim. “I may not be a Hunter anymore, but I still know how to hunt. Those vampires now have a target on their backs and I intend to take them down.”
Morgan strode forward and wrapped her arms around Kane before leaning back to hold his face between her hands. “On the record, we can’t be your personal Hunters but off the record, know that you never have to do this alone. You need us – for anything – you call and we’ll be there.”
Stretching out his arm, Kane grabbed Jamie and pulled her into his embrace as well. “You know I love you guys, right?”
Jamie nodded against his chest as tears swam in her eyes, the moisture speckling the lenses of her glasses. She hated goodbyes, and even though she knew she would see Kane again, this still felt like one. Sniffling, she murmured, “It’s the end of an era.”
Kane chuckled, dropping a kiss on first Jamie’s head and then Morgan’s. “And the beginning of the reign of Kane.” Pulling back, he grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
Returning his smile, though hers was decidedly watery, Jamie tacked on, “Long may he rule.”
Chapter Ten
Dressed, Archer ran to Marceline’s cabin to pick up Cady. His daughter was one amid a tumble of tiny pups sleeping on a faux fur throw on the living room floor, arms and legs entwined. Her rosebud mouth was slightly open, her breaths puffing the hair on little Ben’s head who was curled up next to her. Her cheeks were rosy, her forehead smooth, her features free of stress or worry. A portrait of innocence.
Had he needed a reason not to go off half-cocked hunting the scarred vampire as his instincts urged him to do, this sight, right here, was a reminder as good as a whack upside the head. Cady had already lost her mother, Archer would not abandon her.
If the war came to the bayou, he would answer the call, would stand and fight on home territory, but he’d do so in the protection of his daughter and in defense of his pack. He would not go looking for trouble, spurred on by his need for revenge. He had too many responsibilities here to ever forget that.
“You went walking with the vampire,” was quietly uttered from behind him.
He had scented Marceline’s approach, had known exactly where she was in the house as soon as he’d entered, so wasn’t surprised by her appearance at his back. Her statement, however, and the underlying disapproval in her tone had him cocking a brow as he turned to face her.
In her mid-forties, Marceline was an attractive woman that radiated maternal warmth. She was as quick to hug as she was to scold and one would never leave her home with an empty belly if she had anything to say about it. She’d lost her mate of ten years in a car accident over a decade ago and had since devoted herself to the children of the pack in an attempt to fill the void.
